Two men from Ridgewood and Woodhaven were among the 18 individuals Queens District Attorney Richard Brown pegged for allegedly stealing more than $340,000 in unemployment benefits, authorities said.
Steven Colon, 38, and Alfonso Vaca, 33, were two of those who allegedly received the largest amounts of overpayments in the scheme, which Brown said came as the result of a state Department of Labor investigation involving falsified documents for fast cash.
“The defendants are accused of trying to scam the system by collecting unemployment benefits to which they were not entitled because they were, in fact, employed,” Brown said. “Unemployment benefits are a vital lifeline to those who lose their jobs and fraudulent collection of such benefits cannot be tolerated.
Brown said his office teamed up with the state to find the 18 individuals over the past four months. Colon was accused of collecting just over $58,000 in unemployment benefits while employed between January 2009 and March 2013, and Vaca allegedly pocketed $27,000 between March 2009 and May 2013, the DA said. Both were charged with falsifying business records and grand larceny and released without bail.
Five of the suspects who allegedly received the highest payouts also included Carol Leonard, 59, of Springfield Gardens, Fernando Perez, 35, of East Elmhurst, and Brooklyn native Anthony Rossi, 39. According to the DA, Leonard allegedly collected over $37,000, Perez allegedly pocketed over $21,000, and Rossi allegedly stole just under $25,000 over several years – all while employed.
“Plain and simple, committing unemployment insurance fraud by collecting benefits while working is an act that is illegal and will not be tolerated in this state,” said Peter M. Rivera, commissioner at the state Department of Labor. “It hurts all of New Yorkers by casting doubt on those taxpayers, small businesses and families who actually need these benefits to survive and put food on the table when they’re laid off of no fault of their own.”
By Phil Corso
